30 Minute Tomato Sauce

I've had this recipe on hand for years, I have no idea where it came from but it's super easy and adaptable, and I make it often. I don't always use canned tomatoes (it's a great way to make homemade sauce when fresh tomatoes aren't available), this time I made them with plum tomatoes from my garden and it's delicious. You can change it up by adding spices (good old Italian seasoning would obviously be perfect) or fresh herbs.

• 1 T. olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 cups canned plum tomatoes 
• 3 T. tomato paste
• 1/2 cup chicken broth or water
• 1/2-1 t. sugar
• salt and pepper

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan, add the garlic and chopped onion. Cook until onion is wilted. Add canned plum tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Add 3 tomato paste, 1/2 cup chicken broth or water, 1/2-1 teaspoon sugar to taste, salt and pepper to taste. Continue to cook for another 15 minutes. Adjust seasoning as desired. 

Note: if it's too chunky you could blend it in a food processor or blender (or immersion blender) - we like it chunky, the fresh tomatoes don't cook down as much as the canned version. When using fresh I add more than 2 cups; this is a very changeable recipe and I just eyeball how many onions, tomato paste, and broth I add, Oh, and I don't peel my fresh plum tomatoes but you certainly can if you wish!

If I make extra sauce or just made this to use up an abundance of tomatoes and am not planning to eat it right away, I put it in a quart sized ziplock baggie and freeze it flat. Once frozen you can stand it up to file away in the freezer which saves lots of space. 

🔥 Around the Campfire (week 38)

 Dear Campers ~

Here's a quick recap in case you missed anything at camp last week:

Posts ~

9/12: 🔥week 37

9/13: chocolate cola cupcakes

9/14: tip-sy tuesday: truck bed organizing 

9/15: year 6 enter to win

9/16: blogiversary!

9/17: winner winner (and a couple happy birthdays)

9/18: crochet afghan (no space double crochet v-stitch)

What's Cooking ~

• baked bbq salmon, parmesan couscous, roasted broccoli 
• grilled homemade thin crust pizza (buy the shell, top with your choice, grill until cheese is melty and the crust is crispy - easy and delish!), chopped salad kit
• grilled chicken, tomato/cuke/feta cheese salad
• meatloaf, mashed cauliflower, mixed veggies
• grilled halibut, coleslaw (I mix fresh shredded cabbage and carrots with store bought coleslaw), warm corn tortillas 
• chicken enchilada suizas, shredded lettuce/tomato/avocado, sour cream side salad

Started working on taking Brooke's senior pictures, here's a couple favorites from our first attempt: 

That's it for this week - we are up north camping and it's sooooo beautiful out - sunny, light breeze, low 70's. Gotta go enjoy the last of Michigan summer while I can. Stop back often for more projects, crafts, recipes, chit-chat - whatever I think of to make at camp next week! Bye!

Sincerely ~

Jill

camp counselor

Crocheted Afghan (for Brooke)

True story - Brooke loves an old afghan that I crocheted a million years ago and asked if I'd make her one. 

She asked me in 2019 and I started it right away...

and then put it down and forgot about it until last December when I thought I'd finish it and give it to her for Christmas...

and then put it down and forgot about it until her 18th birthday a couple weeks ago. I actually finished it this time, when she opened it I asked if she even remembered she wanted one hahahahah - she said yes and immediately got in a comfy chair and put it around her and the dog. After she opened it one of her sisters said 'wait, I didn't know we could ask for an afghan!' and put in an order LOL.

I said 'sure, I'm happy to make you one' - but chances are she won't get it for 2 years - apparently that's how long it takes me ;) 

I crocheted this using a no-space double crochet v-stitch pattern, then did a simple shell stitch along the two short ends to give it a more finished look. 

Winner winner...(and happy birthdays)

Today's post is a non-post 'cuz we decided last minute to head up north for what looks like an amazing end-of-season northern Michigan beautiful camping trip. 

Congrats to - drumroll please - my niece Mickey on winning the blogiversary raffle! She's tried every year and finally won - now maybe she'll stop whining about it LOL. Yay Mick!

Also - happy birthday to my little sis Allyson in Tennessee, and to LeDonna in the U.P. (hey, that rhymes haha) Hope you both have a great day filled with fun, friends, family, and maybe donuts!!! 🎈🧁🎁🎉

Blogiversary

Is 'blogiversary' a word? It is now hahaha - today marks the 6 anniversary of the blog! So happy blogiversary to Make My Day Camp :)

2188 posts, maybe they're not all amazing but I'm so happy you've stuck around to read about all the projects, crafts, stories, cooking and baking, friends and relatives, pets, etc. that I've got going on in my little corner of the world! Hopefully you've been inspired and amused along the way. Thank you ❤️

This calls for a celebration for sure - leave me a comment below or on the blog facebook page by tomorrow morning at 10am est and I'll enter you in a blind drawing for a $25 gift card to Michaels (Joann and Hobby Lobby are options too - your choice!). Good luck!

WooHoo for free craft money and for your celebrating 6 years with me - in case you're wondering, it all started with some sprinkles (click for that post). 

Year 6!!

I have to admit I completely forgot tomorrow is Make My Day Camp's 6th anniversary! As usual let's hold a drawing to celebrate! I appreciate you reading my blog - whether you've been reading this whole time or if you just found it - and I want to 'reward' one of you hahaha! I could send something I've made instead, but a gift card is much easier to mail LOL. If you want to enter to win a $25 Michael's (or JoAnn/Hobby Lobby) gift card, leave me a comment here on the blog or on our Facebook page and I'll draw names Friday (9/17) morning at 10am EST. Good Luck! 

This post is from 9/15/16 - nothing has changed since I posted this 5 years ago so I'm going to share it again - : 

So tomorrow is the one year anniversary of the blog... I can't believe I've done this for a year already! I'm pleasantly surprised that coming up with enough posts for the year wasn't hard at all, and it's flown by -  my phone and iPad are still full of inspiration photos, ideas, and recipes - everywhere I look it seems there is something I want to make, bake, try, and do - so I'm going to keep creating and posting, and hopefully you'll keep reading and be inspired to make stuff. I LOVE when you guys comment or privately tell me that you are following the blog (I can't tell who reads it unless you tell me or leave a comment on the blog or Facebook) - it's fun to know you are out there! Blogging makes me happy because it's a great way for me to share all of the things that keep me busy every day, and if you get an idea or are inspired by something then I'm happy to be sharing.

I can't even tell you how true every one of these are - this is my life!

Thanks to everyone for reading my blog, for all of your comments, for all of your private messages, and for your support - it means SO much to me! In return I'll do my best to keep making, creating, baking, snapping, planting, fashioning, arranging, exercising, decorating, mixing, and entertaining you the best I can :)

9.15.20: strawberry cheesecake poke cake

9.15.19: 🔥week 37

9.15.17: wall decoration by Brooke

Tip-sy Tuesday: Truck Bed Organizer

 2 things brought this handy tip about: 

(1) I have a pickup truck (named Junior).

(2) I am short.

When you have a pickup and you put stuff in the bed and then drive around, things go flying everywhere, and when you are short you can't reach anything in the bed that isn't about a foot from the tailgate. So I came up with this organizing system that has made my life soooooo much easier! I saw rubber totes at Costco for around 8 bucks and thought maybe they'd work for my idea - I didn't measure first but for $8 I figured if they didn't work I'd find another use for them, I got lucky and they are the perfect size! I put them side by side across the bed and hooked 2 bungies right behind them to hold in place. It's created 2 cubbies for containing groceries, etc. and now I can reach everything without having to climb into the truck bed 👍

There are a couple small holes in both sides of the bed, the top one is large enough to hook the bungie into but the lower one is too small. I found a couple eye hook screws that fit and I can hook the lower bungie to it. Ignore the net, that was my first attempt and organizing but things slid underneath it - I don't know why I took the picture with the net still there hahah! 

Chocolate-Cola Cupcakes

I made these cupcakes for Dave's ukulele group to celebrate their 12 year anniversary, and they turned out great. The 'secret' ingredient (well not exactly a secret since I put it in the title) is coke - I'm not sure that you can tell it's in them but they're really good so maybe that's the reason! I also filled them and made chocolate-cola buttercream frosting - yum. I don't like chocolate cake but the filling and frosting make these just about irresistible hahaha. 

Cake:

• duncan hines dark chocolate fudge cake mix
• 1 small box instant chocolate pudding
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup coke
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil 
• 1 t. vanilla
• big handful of mini chocolate chips

Mix ingredients together, bake according to package directions. Let Cool. 

Once completely cool scoop out a little cake from the top of each cupcake (if you made regular size cupcakes, if you made mini cupcakes then don't remove cake). An easy way to do this is to use the large part of a big metal cake tip, push it into the cupcake, twist and pull to remove a circle of cake. 

Filling:

• 2 boxes instant chocolate pudding (I used 1 box chocolate and 1 box white chocolate pudding)
• 2 cups cold milk

Whisk pudding and milk until dissolved. Let sit for a minute to thicken. Put into a frosting bag fitted with a large tip. Pipe some filling into each hole you made in the step above, then put the cake plug back in the hole.  If you made mini cupcakes you can stick the tip right directly into the top of the cupcake and gently squeeze. Then frost with buttercream frosting, add sprinkles if you're in the mood! 

Frosting: 

• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperaaure
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• a couple Tablespoons coke
• a couple Tablespoons milk, half and half, or cream
• pinch of coarse salt

Blend all ingredients together until creamy, fluffy, and smooth. Note: I didn't use all coke for the liquid thinking it might be too sweet - but you make it however you want!

🔥 Around the Campfire (week 37)

Dear Campers ~

Here's a quick recap in case you missed anything at camp last week:

Posts ~

9/5: 🔥 week 36

9/6: welcome to the wedding sign

9/7: solo cup trivia

9/8: mojitos

9/9: window signs

9/10: flower seed wedding favors

9/11: 20 years later...

My goodness this week flew by! Short week, plus catching up from the wedding (I still haven't put everything away 🤦‍♀️), time just gets away from me. Having said that - I don't have good menu ideas for you this week, no time for cooking so most of our meals were quick salad and grilled something. Hopefully I get it together and make some more interesting things next week hahah. Hope everyone had a happy Labor Day last summer hurrah weekend! Stop back often to see more projects, recipes, crafts, whatever else I can think of (and have time for) to make!

Sincerely ~

Jill

camp counselor

9/11: 20 years later

I cannot believe it's been 20 years since the 9/11 attacks on our country. That is just unbelievable - well the attacks themselves were unbelievable but I'm talking about how fast time flies. I read something the other day about how kids nowadays don't remember the awful events, and how would they - they were too young or not born yet and 9/11 is now historical history that they learn about at school or from parents and grandparents. That's so weird to me, especially since it doesn't feel like it happened all that long ago! 

I'll never forget where I was on that shocking, horrific morning - and I'm sure you won't either. I love the lyrics of this Alan Jackson song and am sharing again in memory of that September day - "Where were you (when the world stopped turning)": 

by Alan Jackson, found on Pinterest. (I originally posted in '16 for the 15 year anniversary)